This article extends the composition of linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) resins to that containing 1-decene comonomer units, and examines the effects of comonomer (type and concentration) to copolymerization and physical properties of LLDPE resins. CGC metallocene technology, under high temperature and high pressure (industrial reaction condition), was used to prepare three types of well-defined LLDPE copolymers containing 1-hexene, 1-octene, and 1-decene units. They show high molecular weight with narrow molecular weight and composition distributions, comparative catalyst activities, and similar comonomer effects. However, 1-decene seems to exhibit significantly higher comonomer incorporation than 1-hexene and 1-octene, which may be associated with its high boiling point, maintaining liquid phase during the polymerization. The resulting LLDPE copolymers show a clear structure–property relationship. Melting temperature and crystallinity of the copolymer are governed by mole % of comonomer. The increase of branch density linearly decreases the LLDPE melting point and exponential reduction of its crystallinity. On the other hand, the density of the copolymer decreases with the increase of comonomer weight %, which shows a sharp linear relationship in the low comonomer content. The tensile properties of 1-decene-based LLDPE are very comparative with those of the commercial LLDPE resins with similar compositions. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 639–649, 2007


ing is permitted with credit to the source. Libraries are permitted to photocopy or print, providing the reference is mentioned and that the resulting material is made available at no cost. Reference should mention: International Journal on Advances in Life Sciences, issn 1942-2660 vol. 3, no. 3 & 4, year 2011, http://www.iariajournals.org/life_sciences/ The copyright for each included paper belongs to the authors. Republishing of same material, by authors or persons or organizations, is not allowed. Reprint rights can be granted by IARIA or by the authors, and must include proper reference. Reference to an article in the journal is as follows: <Author list>, "<Article title>" International Journal on Advances in Life Sciences, issn 1942-2660 vol. 3, no. 3 & 4, year 2011, <start page>:<end page> , http://www.iariajournals.org/life_sciences/ IARIA journals are made available for free, proving the appropriate references are made when their


Among a number of ensemble learning techniques, boosting and bagging are the most popular sampling-based ensemble approaches for classification problems. Boosting is considered stronger than bagging on noise-free data set with complex class structures, whereas bagging is more robust than boosting in cases where noise data are present. In this paper, we extend both ensemble approaches to clustering tasks, and propose a novel hybrid sampling-based clustering ensemble by combining the strengths of boosting and bagging. In our approach, the input partitions are iteratively generated via a hybrid process inspired by both boosting and bagging. Then, a novel consensus function is proposed to encode the local and global cluster structure of input partitions into a single representation, and applies a single clustering algorithm to such representation to obtain the consolidated consensus partition. Our approach has been evaluated on 2-D-synthetic data, collection of benchmarks, and real-world facial recognition data sets, which show that the proposed technique outperforms the existing benchmarks for a variety of clustering tasks.


Short-channel effects in deep-submicrometer SOI MOSFET's are explored over a wide range of device parameters using two-dimensional numerical simulations. To obtain reduced short-channel effects in SOI over bulk technologies, the silicon film thickness must be considerably smaller than the bulk junction depth because of an additional charge-sharing phenomenon through the SOI buried oxide. The optimal design space, considering nominal and short-channel threshold voltage, shows ample design options for both fully and partially depleted devices, however, manufacturing considerations in the 0.1 /spl mu/m regime may favor partially depleted devices.<<ETX>>


Crystalline/amorphous interfaces (CAIs) confer outstanding mechanical properties on crystalline/amorphous nanostructured multilayers (C/ANMs), which are widely used in micro/nanodevices, because their unique interfacial structure possesses high strain compatibility. In this study, Cu/X (X = Cu-Ti, HfO2) C/ANMs with equal layer thicknesses (h) were comparatively investigated in terms of size-dependent hardness (H) and thermal stability to uncover the fundamental difference(s) between Cu/Cu-Ti and Cu/HfO2. It was found that both as-deposited Cu/Cu-Ti and Cu/HfO2 C/ANMs exhibited a maximum hardness at a critical thickness of h ∼30 nm, which was caused by a transition from confined dislocation gliding to dislocation transmission across the interface. Specifically, the Cu/Cu-Ti C/ANMs exhibited annealing hardening, whereas the Cu/HfO2 C/ANMs exhibited annealing softening associated with a minimum softening at h ∼ 30 nm, which was closely correlated with their thermal stability. In comparison with monolithic amorphous X thin films, the glassy X nanolayers in the present Cu/X C/ANMs exhibited reduced thermal stability and a trend that smaller sizes led to higher stability. The underlying mechanism of the size-dependent crystallization behavior of X nanolayers is discussed in terms of the constraining effects of the interface. These findings provide deep insights into the design of Cu/metallic-glass and Cu/ceramic-glass C/ANMs with optimal performance.


Current methods used to analyze real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) data exhibit systematic deviations from the assumed model over the progression of the reaction. Slight variations in the amount of the initial target molecule or in early amplifications are likely responsible for these deviations. Commonly-used 4- and 5-parameter sigmoidal models appear to be particularly susceptible to this issue, often displaying patterns of autocorrelation in the residuals. The presence of this phenomenon, even for technical replicates, suggests that these parametric models may be misspecified. Specifically, they do not account for the sequential dependent nature of qPCR fluorescence measurements. We demonstrate that a Smooth Transition Autoregressive (STAR) model addresses this limitation by explicitly modeling the dependence between cycles and the gradual transition between amplification regimes. In summary, application of a STAR model to qPCR amplification data improves model fit and reduces autocorrelation in the residuals.


Drought or water stress is one of the prime problems affecting production of maize at global level. A major objective of QPM breeding programs in semi arid tropics or subtropical climatic conditions is to increase genetic potential of QPM genotypes under water stress conditions. In order to identify drought tolerant single cross QPM hybrids an experiment with 85 genotypes was conducted under well irrigated and water stress conditions. Six drought tolerance indices viz, mean productivity (MP), geometric mean productivity (GMP), yield index (YI), tolerance index (TOL), stress susceptibility index (SSI), and superiority measures (SM) were used on the basis of grain yield in water stress (Ys) and well irrigated (Yp) conditions. Highest significant positive correlations were observed among MP, GMP and YI indices. The hybrids 75, 38, 27, and 50 were more drought tolerant based on drought tolerance indices. Three dimensional plot, bi-plot and cluster analysis confirmed these results. Principal component analysis reduced six indices down to two components with 90.71% proportional cumulative variance. Genotypes were grouped by two ways cluster analysis (using Ward's method) based on Yp, Ys and drought tolerance indices. Also, the results of correlation, 3D graphs, bi-plot and cluster analysis reveals that the most suitable indices to screen QPM genotypes in drought stress conditions were MP, GMP and YI. These indices could be used in QPM breeding programs to introduce drought tolerance in single cross hybrids.


To shed light on the process of how exotic species become invasive, it is necessary to study them both in their native and non‐native ranges. Our intent was to measure differences in herbivory, plant growth and the impact on other species in Fallopia japonica in its native and non‐native ranges. We performed a cross‐range full descriptive, field study in Japan (native range) and France (non‐native range). We assessed DNA ploidy levels, the presence of phytophagous enemies, the amount of leaf damage, several growth parameters and the co‐occurrence of Fallopia japonica with other plant species of herbaceous communities. Invasive Fallopia japonica plants were all octoploid, a ploidy level we did not encounter in the native range, where plants were all tetraploid. Octoploids in France harboured far less phytophagous enemies, suffered much lower levels of herbivory, grew larger and had a much stronger impact on plant communities than tetraploid conspecifics in the native range in Japan. Our data confirm that Fallopia japonica performs better – plant vigour and dominance in the herbaceous community – in its non‐native than its native range. Because we could not find octoploids in the native range, we cannot separate the effects of differences in ploidy from other biogeographic factors. To go further, common garden experiments would now be needed to disentangle the proper role of each factor, taking into account the ploidy levels of plants in their native and non‐native ranges. Synthesis. As the process by which invasive plants successfully invade ecosystems in their non‐native range is probably multifactorial in most cases, examining several components – plant growth, herbivory load, impact on recipient systems – of plant invasions through biogeographic comparisons is important. Our study contributes towards filling this gap in the research, and it is hoped that this method will spread in invasion ecology, making such an approach more common.


BACKGROUND
One of the most extensively studied phenomena in cognitive neuroscience is the Stroop effect. In an enormous corpus of literature, the Stroop task has been used to study conflict processing in the visual modality; however, scarce data exist in the auditory modality.

PURPOSE
The main goal of the present study was to investigate auditory conflict processing by means of behavioral and electrophysiologic measures elicited during standard and reversed Stroop tasks. A secondary goal was to examine practice-related effects.

RESEARCH DESIGN
Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded from 16 adults during tasks requiring classification of word meaning or speaker's gender while ignoring the irrelevant (congruent or incongruent) speaker's gender or word meaning, respectively. The behavioral measures, reaction time and performance accuracy, were simultaneously obtained.

RESULTS
Results indicated (1) a significant behavioral Stroop effect manifested by prolonged reaction time and reduced performance accuracy. In contrast, ERP latencies were unaffected by the processing of incongruent versus congruent stimuli, supporting postperceptual conflict processing associated with response selection and execution; (2) reduced N1 amplitude while processing incongruent versus congruent stimuli; (3) similar behavioral Stroop effects in both tasks together with nonsignificant task by stimulus type (incongruent, congruent) interactions for N1 and N4; (4) significantly prolonged N4 and reaction time together with reduced N1 amplitude in the speaker's gender task (to both congruent and incongruent stimuli) compared to those found in the word meaning task; and (5) practice-related improvement in processing efficacy based on enhanced N1 amplitude, as well as shorter N4 and reaction time.

CONCLUSIONS
Auditory conflict processing was predominantly postperceptual and was located at the response selection and execution stages. Alterations in the N1 component, however, provided support for an auditory conflict-processing "signature" at the initial stages of the arrival of information to the auditory cortex. The current data indicate that speaker's gender and word meaning intruded on one another in a similar fashion, supporting symmetry between standard and reversed auditory Stroop effects. Nonetheless, improved processing efficacy was evident while classifying word meaning. Utilization of the present methodology may prove advantageous for studying clinical populations exhibiting auditory and/or linguistic processing deficits.


Economists have developed a vast empirical literature on how cultural traits like generalized trust affect economic output. Much of this literature finds a positive causal relationship between measures of generalized trust, as gathered by international surveys, and economic output. However, the trust literature commits five deadly empirical and theoretical sins that undermine its findings. From the quality of the survey questions and responses to the paucity of theoretical models used to explain how trust affects economic outcomes to the radically different results from experimental evidence, the trust literature is riven with poor methods and bad data that undermine its conclusions. Even so, applying the best methods in the trust literature to regional level analysis in the United States reveals no statistically significant correlation between economic output and trust. We see no reason to trust the findings of the trust literature.


Abstract Anatomical complications of the craniofacial regions often present considerable challenges to the surgical repair or replacement of the damaged tissues. Surgical repair has its own set of limitations, including scarcity of the donor tissues, immune rejection, use of immune suppressors followed by the surgery, and restriction in restoring the natural aesthetic appeal. Rapid advancement in the field of biomaterials, cell biology, and engineering has helped scientists to create cellularized skeletal muscle‐like structures. However, the existing method still has limitations in building large, highly vascular tissue with clinical application. With the advance in the three‐dimensional (3D) bioprinting technique, scientists and clinicians now can produce the functional implants of skeletal muscles and bones that are more patient‐specific with the perfect match to the architecture of their craniofacial defects. Craniofacial tissue regeneration using 3D bioprinting can manage and eliminate the restrictions of the surgical transplant from the donor site. The concept of creating the new functional tissue, exactly mimicking the anatomical and physiological function of the damaged tissue, looks highly attractive. This is crucial to reduce the donor site morbidity and retain the esthetics. 3D bioprinting can integrate all three essential components of tissue engineering, that is, rehabilitation, reconstruction, and regeneration of the lost craniofacial tissues. Such integration essentially helps to develop the patient‐specific treatment plans and damage site‐driven creation of the functional implants for the craniofacial defects. This article is the bird's eye view on the latest development and application of 3D bioprinting in the regeneration of the skeletal muscle tissues and their application in restoring the functional abilities of the damaged craniofacial tissue. We also discussed current challenges in craniofacial bone vascularization and gave our view on the future direction, including establishing the interactions between tissue‐engineered skeletal muscle and the peripheral nervous system.


Recently 63 m, 100 m, and 125 m 1200 V normally-off SiC VJFETs have become commercially available and 99% efficiency has been demonstrated in a single-phase solar inverter using these components [1]. They exhibit low specific on-resistance (3 m∙cm2), high saturation current density (1000 A∙cm-2), and low switching losses. For some applications, including 30 to 100 kW inverter modules and those requiring high surge current capability, larger die size is required. This paper reports the static and dynamic performance of 15 mm2 1200 V normally-off VJFETs with 25 m on-resistance and 120 A saturation current at 25 °C.


This document defines the forwarding element (FE) model used in the
Forwarding and Control Element Separation (ForCES) protocol. The model
represents the capabilities, state, and configuration of forwarding
elements within the context of the ForCES protocol, so that control
elements (CEs) can control the FEs accordingly. More specifically, the
model describes the logical functions that are present in an FE, what
capabilities these functions support, and how these functions are or
can be interconnected. This FE model is intended to satisfy the model
requirements specified in RFC 3654. [STANDARDS-TRACK]


Abstract Long-chain acyl-CoA thioesterases, which catalyze the cleavage of acyl-CoA's to free fatty acids and CoASH, are abundant in animal cells. However, in yeast little is known about presence and function of acyl-CoA thioesterase activity. Therefore a commercial lipase preparation from the yeast Candida rugosa was investigated and found to contain high myristoyl-CoA thioesterase activity. Hydrophobic interaction chromatography separated the activity into three peaks, of which two enzymes (YTE-1 and YTE-2) were purified to apparent homogeneity with molecular masses of about 40 kDa as determined by size-exclusion chromatography and SDS–PAGE. The employed purification protocol resulted in final preparations with specific activities of about 90 μmol/mg/min with myristoyl-CoA as substrate. YTE-1 and YTE-2 showed similar kinetic properties and YTE-1 was characterized in detail. Acyl-CoA chain-length specificity showed that YTE-1 was not active on acyl-CoAs shorter than decanoyl-CoA, at the substrate concentrations tested. The best substrates were C 14 –C 18 acyl-CoAs with V max values of about 150 μmol/mg/min and K m values of 15–46 μ m . The enzyme was very active with lauroyl-CoA ( V max about 400 μmol/mg/min) although the K m was high (about 325 μ m ). The purified enzyme was also active on short-chain nitrophenyl esters but inactive with tributyrin. Treatment of the protein with N -glycosidase F decreased the molecular mass about 1–2 kDa, indicating the presence of carbohydrate of the high mannose type. Diisopropyl fluorophosphate (DFP) inhibited the enzyme activity efficiently and the protein was covalently labeled with [ 3 H]DFP. p -Chloromercuribenzoic acid inhibited the thioesterase activity but did not affect carboxylesterase activity. N-terminal sequence analysis and labeling by DFP suggest that these long-chain acyl-CoA thioesterases belong to a novel group of yeast serine esterases.


Plant biomass and nitrogen status are important factors to consider when making in-season crop management decisions. Traditional sampling and analysis are time-consuming, labor-intensive and costly. It is desirable to estimate these parameters nondestructively using remote sensing technology. The objective of this study is to evaluate the potential of using an active crop canopy sensor, GreenSeeker, for estimating winter wheat biomass, nitrogen concentration and uptake in North China Plain. A total of 13 field experiments involving different N rates, varieties and sites were conducted from 2004 to 2007 in Shandong Province, China. In addition, data from 69 farmer's fields were also collected to further evaluate the sensor's potential application under on-farm conditions. The results indicated that across sites, years, experiments and growth stages, normalized difference vegetation index became saturated when biomass reached 3736 kg ha, or when plant nitrogen uptake reached 131 kg ha. Ratio vegetation index was linearly related with winter wheat biomass and plant nitrogen uptake and did not show obvious saturation effect. However, none of the two vegetation indices performed well for nitrogen concentration estimation. We conclude that RVI should be selected when using the GreenSeeker crop sensor to estimate winter wheat biomass or N uptake across sites, years and growth stages. The NDVI index can also be used before plant biomass and N uptake reach threshold values. More research is needed to further evaluate the results under more diverse conditions, and develop strategies of using the GreenSeeker 1220 Intelligent Automation and Soft Computing active sensor for diagnosing crop growth and N status and making in-season management decisions, especially under high-yielding conditions.


Many studies of neighbourhood change adopt a 'bookend' mode of analysis in which a baseline year is identified for a chosen outcome variable from which the magnitude of change is calculated to a determined endpoint typically over bi-decadal or decadal timeframes. However, this mode of analysis smoothes away short-run change patterns and neighbourhood dynamics. The implications of this practice could be far reaching if it is accepted that as neighbourhoods change they are liable to cross a threshold and transition from one state to another in the short- as well as longer-term. In a case study of deprived neighbourhoods in the Greater Manchester city-region, this paper aims to contribute to neighbourhood change debates in two ways. The first is by isolating transition pathways for individual neighbourhoods using annual change data. The second is by testing the thesis that the more deprived a neighbourhood is, the more likely it is to respond with greater volatility to short-run shocks when compared with less-deprived neighbourhoods. Four indicators collected annually between 2001 and 2010 are used to develop a typology of neighbourhood change and a subsequent typology of neighbourhood transition. The analysis exposed 260 different transition pathways that deprived neighbourhoods followed over the study period. Multinomial logistic regression was then used to determine the odds of a neighbourhood undergoing transition along a specific pathway owing to its level of deprivation. The model revealed that the most deprived neighbourhoods were likely to follow more volatile transition pathways compared with the less-deprived neighbourhoods especially during periods of economic difficulty.


347 this hypothesis; the defence of M. Marius Gratidianus, like that of Norbanus, is explained on the grounds of the broader tolerance ('Humanismus') shown by advocates in contrast to the 'Rigorismus' of politicians. (An extended discussion on this question of 'Zwei-Seelen-Romer' would have been useful to draw the two parts of this thesis together.) Also worth noting are Scholz's arguments for placing Antonius' promagistracy in 113 (Broughton, M.R.R. i. 539 has 112) and C. Norbanus' quaestorship in 99 {M.R.R. i. 569 has 102). The longer section on Antonius as orator is less original, since it must rest largely on Cicero's version (De Or. ii. 197 ff.) of the Pro C. Norbano. The orator's techniques are examined under the traditional headings, and the main conclusions emerging are Antonius' insistence on careful preparation (inventio), his versatile elocutio (which could combine TO T/BIKCOS with TO TraOyTiKuis Aeyetv), and his skilful use of voice and gesture (actio) which allowed him to be a dissimulator artis (Quint, ii. 17. 6). There is also a section on Antonius' rhetorical handbook, here dated plausibly to the late 90's, which represents the intermediate stage between Cato's ideal of vir bonus dicendi peritus and the fully Greek tone of the Ad Herennium and Cicero's De Inventions Scholz interestingly suggests that the closure of Plotius' school of rhetoric in 92 might have been attributable to the adoption there of Antonius' successful if undignified tricks—his trickery in making the Pro Norbano into an In Caepionem, and in the Pro M'. Aquillio the sensational baring of that venerable consular's chest, which made even Marius weep (De Or. ii. 195-6). University of Edinburgh P. G. WALSH


This study explores the physical mechanisms by which the duration of strong ground motion influences structural response. While a number of previous studies have found that ground motion duration influences only cumulative damage indices, and not peak structural deformations, a few recent studies that employed realistic, deteriorating structural models were able to demonstrate the effect of duration on peak deformations and structural collapse capacity. These recent studies were, however, empirical in nature and did not fully explore the reasons behind the observed effects of duration. Many of the previous studies qualitatively attributed the effects to the cyclic deterioration of strength and stiffness of the structural components, which represents just one mechanism by which duration exerts its influence. In contrast, the present study shows that the gradual ratcheting of drifts, accentuated by the destabilizing P− ∆ effect, is an equally important mechanism by which duration influences structural response. The relative contributions of the two mechanisms—cyclic deterioration and ratcheting—to the observed influence of duration on the collapse capacity of a five-story steel moment frame building, are quantified by conducting incremental dynamic analysis (IDA) using spectrally equivalent sets of long and short duration ground motions. The use of spectrally equivalent ground motions allows controlling for the effect of response spectral shape. A response parameter called the ratcheting interval is defined and used to explain the larger potential for a long duration ground motion to cause structural collapse, when compared to a spectrally equivalent short duration ground motion scaled to the same intensity level. These findings shed light on the interaction between structural model characteristics and the observed influence of ground motion duration on structural response. In addition, they highlight the importance of using models that capture both cyclic deterioration and the P−∆ effect to reliably account for the effect of ground motion duration when assessing structural collapse risk.


Industrial manufacture is the principal source of our national wealth, and it supports all our other activities; consequently its wellbeing is of crucial importance to us all. It has been developing in three main streams — process manufacture, flowline or mass production, and batch manufacture — and of these only the first has kept in step with the parallel development of society. In the others, the trends of management organization and the work patterns which this has created have been steadily veering into conflict with the values, aspirations and expectations of the people who have to make the industrial system work. The effects are visible now, and unless the patterns are changed, large sectors of industry could eventually become unworkable, because the qualities and skills needed in an individual are unlikely to be combined with a willingness to do the type of job offered. An account of the present position and possible directions of change in flowline and batch production is given, which satisfy the dual criteria of providing improved efficiency and a better match with society.


Background/aim The town of Mailuu-Suu in Jalalabad Province was, during the time of the USSR, a uranium ore mining and processing town consisting of 23 uranium tailing pits and 13 dumps. The objective was to study cancer rates and death cases within three identified zones of contamination in the town of Mailuu-Suu. Methods Researcher's fieldwork and archival data from the Mailuu-Suu hospital were used. An Eberline (FH40 F2)gamma radiation radiometer and dosimeter was used to measure the power of absorbed doses of a gamma radiation. Radiometric measurements were carried out in the houses and in the yards (if a private house, then on the entire area of the farm). A total number of 89 measurements were taken at various areas or zones of the city. Results In 10 years (2006–2015) in the town of Mailuu-Suu 197 people was dying because of cancer and 235 new cases of cancer disease were known. Zone 1 – Sary-Bee. Background gamma radiation was recorded within 40 mR/h – 640 mR/h in this zone. Total new cases of cancer disease was 22 with attributable 23 deaths. Zone 2 is located in the centre of the town of Mailuu-Suu. Background gamma radiation was recorded within 40 mR/h – 145 mR/h in this zone. Strong contrations of Radon were found in the air. Total new cases of cancer were 193 with 163 attributable deaths. Zone 3 – Kok-Tash is located in the lower part of the town and downstream of the tailing pits, dumps Total new cases of cancer were 20 with 11 attributable deaths. Conclusion The greatest number of cancer patients identified in this study were located in Zone 2 or the central part of the town. A primary cause of the high cancer rates found here are attributable to the high concentrations of radon in the air. Lung, stomach and breast cancer were found to be the most common types of cancer in the town of Mailuu-Suu.


The evaluation of the quality of unconventional hydrocarbon resources becomes a critical stage toward characterizing these resources, and this evaluation requires the evaluation of the total organic carbon (TOC). Generally, TOC is determined from laboratory experiments; however, it is hard to obtain a continuous profile for the TOC along the drilled formations using these experiments. Another way to evaluate the TOC is through the use of empirical correlation, and the currently available correlations lack the accuracy especially when used in formations other than the ones used to develop these correlations. This study introduces an empirical equation for the evaluation of the TOC in Devonian Duvernay shale from only gamma-ray and spectral gamma-ray logs of uranium, thorium, and potassium as well as a newly developed term that accounts for the TOC from the linear regression analysis. This new correlation was developed based on the artificial neural networks (ANNs) algorithm which was learned on 750 datasets from Well-A. The developed correlation was tested and validated on 226 and 73 datasets from Well-B and Well-C, respectively. The results of this study indicated that for the training data, the TOC was predicted by the ANN with an AAPE of only 8.5%. Using the developed equation, the TOC was predicted with an AAPE of only 11.5% for the testing data. For the validation data, the developed equation overperformed the previous models in estimating the TOC with an AAPE of only 11.9%.


We extensively interviewed 46 landowners in two northern Bay Area counties and nearby Yolo County to assess their satisfaction with agricultural conservation easements. The landowners in most cases were enthusiastic sellers of the easements; their motivations included cash, keeping land in the family and conservation. They reported generally satisfactory experiences with the easement programs. To a lesser degree they expressed concerns about certain aspects of the easement process, especially negotiations and monitoring, and suggested ways that easement programs can improve their relationships with landowners.


In cellular systems, confidentiality of uplink transmission with respect to eavesdropping terminals can be ensured by creating intentional interference via scheduling of concurrent downlink transmissions. In this paper, this basic idea is explored from an information-theoretic standpoint by focusing on a two-cell scenario where the involved base stations (BSs) are connected via a finite-capacity backbone link. A number of transmission strategies are considered that aim at improving uplink confidentiality under constraints on the downlink rate that acts as an interfering signal. The strategies differ mainly in the way the backbone link is exploited by the cooperating downlink to the uplink-operated BSs. Achievable rates are derived for both the Gaussian (unfaded) and the fading cases, under different assumptions on the channel state information available at different nodes. Numerical results are also provided to corroborate the analysis. Extensions to scenarios with more than two cells are briefly discussed as well. Overall, the analysis reveals that a combination of scheduling and base-station cooperation is a promising means to improve transmission confidentiality in cellular systems.


. We examine the structure of the continued fraction of √ d , and give formulae for the repeated partial quotients in its period.


In this work, we present a tagging system which classifies the words in a non-vocalized Arabic text to their tags. The proposed tagging system passes through three levels of analysis. The first level is a lexical analyzer that composed of a lexicon containing all fixed words and particles such as prepositions and pronouns. The second level is a morphological analyzer which relies on word structure using patterns and affixes to determine word class. The third level is a syntax analyzer or a grammatical tagging which relies on the process of assigning grammatical tags to words based on their context or the position of the word in the sentence. The syntax analyzer level consists of two stages: the first stage depends on specific keywords that inform the tag of the successive word, the second stage is the reversed parsing technique which scans the available grammars of Arabic language to get the class of a single ambiguity word in the sentence. We have tested the proposed system on a corpus consists of 2355 words. Experimental results showed that the proposed system achieved a rate of success approaching 94% of the total number of words in the sample used in the study.


AIM
The purpose of this study is to provide a definition of adolescent friendship to aid in nursing research and practice.

BACKGROUND
Friendships are an essential part of adolescence and can have significant impacts on health outcomes. Adolescent friendships are associated with decreased depression, suicidal ideation, anxiety, and improved self-management of chronic conditions. However, the concept of friendship has not been well defined in the nursing literature, especially in the context of adolescents.

DESIGN
Walker and Avant's method of concept analysis was used as a framework for this analysis.

DATA SOURCES
Seventeen articles were reviewed, representing a variety of disciplines including child development, psychology, sociology, behavioral sciences, medicine, education, public health, and nutrition. Additional sources included online definitions of friendship.

REVIEW METHODS
After reviewing the sources, the author identified attributes, antecedents, and consequences. Model case, a borderline case, and contrary case were developed and empirical referents identified.

RESULTS
The analysis resulted in a clear definition of adolescent friendship, containing the attributes of support, intimacy, affection, trust, ability to manage conflict, and time.

CONCLUSIONS
Understanding the attributes, antecedents, and consequences of adolescent friendships will help nurses in assessing and supporting these influential relationships during this important development period.


Sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS) is a key enzyme catalyzing sucrose metabolism in plants. In this study, we isolated the SPS cDNA from Saccharum spontaneum and designated as SsSPS (GenBank accession no. MF398541). The full-length of SsSPS cDNA was 4153-bp with an opening reading frame (ORF) of 3132 nucleotides, which encoded a 1043-amino acid protein. The nucleotide sequences alignment showed that it had 98%, 97% and 87% homology with S. officinarum, Setaria italica and Lolium perenne, respectively. Moreover, the SsSPS was detected to express in leaf and stem tissues of S. spontaneum and exhibited a predominant expression in the stem tissue. However, there was no significant difference in the expression level of SsSPS between young leaves and mature ones. Additionally, we generated transgenic S. spontaneum using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Our data will provide a valuable foundation for further study of the potential role of SPS in plants.


Data envelopment is mainly used for the evaluation on the relative effectiveness study of decision making units with multiple inputs, especially multiple outputs. This article starts from the social, oneself and psychological three aspects to establish teaching evaluation system and evaluation model; in combination with shuttlecock movement characteristics, it starts from the education quality and teaching quality to set up quality comprehensive evaluation model of fuzzy analytic hierarchy process, and uses this two models to make a scientific, objective and accurate evaluation on shuttlecock sport. According to this model, we get the evaluation results that the state of teaching and learning is medium, which lay a foundation for future research


The oral apparatus in lancelets undergoes a remarkable modification during larval development, especially during metamorphosis, when the oral innervation is radically altered. The larval mouth opens on the left side at the early larval stage, and a peripheral nerve network, the oral nerve ring (ONR), develops around it. The ONR enlarges as the mouth expands caudally, eventually receiving fibers from nerves as far back as the tenth on the left side. The mouth shrinks during metamorphosis, and with this change the ONR regresses; the posterior sixth to tenth nerves become freed from the connection with the ONR, whereas the fourth and fifth nerves retain their connections. This modification is the basis for the asymmetric innervation to the velum. There is no mesodermal or mesenchymal restriction for guiding nerve patterning as typically found in vertebrate cranial nerves. Rather, it seems to be the ONR, which has no counterpart in vertebrates, that plays pivotal roles for patterning the nervous system in the oral region. The oral innervation pattern in lancelets represents a derived character state that may be related to the asymmetry of the ancestral body and head.


Excerpt] Over the last two years labor unions have faced escalating demands for concessions and give-backs. To counter the spread of concession fever, many unions are trying to develop a more sophisticated picture of a company's financial condition and overall strategy. First and foremost they are taking a closer look at the factors that determine a company's bottom line. The underlying assumption is that management uses financial accounting gimmicks to "reduce" profits and justify concessions. This is not an easy task, primarily because the expertise and data needed to investigate a company's performance is not readily available to most unions, especially at the regional or local level. In-house capacity in this area usually resides at the national level where in-depth research on specific companies is either inaccessible or nonexistent. Very few accounting, consulting or research firms serve unions; most have a strong pro-business bias that accompanies their reliance on large corporate accounts. As a result, most unions stand at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to refuting company claims of hardship. This weakens both the leadership and membership, and makes it difficult for unions to present their case to the press and the public. At Eastern Air Lines, two unions used very different approaches to analyze the company's financial condition. The pilots hired a prestigious corporate accounting firm. A partner in this firm flew down to Eastern's Miami headquarters for a half day presentation.In a subsequent 30-minute oral report to the union leadership he "confirmed" that Eastern was in bad shape, thereby justifying concession demands. Nothing was put in writing for the membership and the fee was $5000. IAM District 100 took a different approach. The leadership decided first to educate themselves about Eastern's finances in order to independently assess the company's condition. They realized that this required a solid understanding of basic accounting principles. For guidance, they turned to experts not beholden to company clients. Finally the IAM leadership educated the total membership about what they had learned.


Background The incidence of Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infection is increasing among patients with AIDS. Rifabutin therapy has been demonstrated to be effective in the treatment and prophylaxis of MAC infection. over the past 3 years there have been several reports of uveitis associated with rifabutin therapy. The uveitis is almost always interior, begins unilaterally and progresses to involve both eyes. There is almost always a hypopyon present, and the uveitis progresses aggressively. It responds well to conventional treatment along with the discontinuance of rifabutin. Methods/results This paper presents a new case of rifabutin uveitis and a review of the various published reports to date. Conclusions All primary eye care clinicians should be aware of this new and unique clinical presentation and be prepared to recognize it quickly and treat it appropriately.


The root extracellular trap (RET) has emerged as a specialized compartment consisting of root AC-DC and mucilage. However, the RET's contribution to plant defense is still poorly understood. While the roles of polysaccharides and glycoproteins secreted by root AC-DC have started to be elucidated, how the low-molecular-weight exudates of the RET contribute to root defense is poorly known. In order to better understand the RET and its defense response, the transcriptomes, proteomes and metabolomes of roots, root AC-DC and mucilage of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr, var. Castetis) upon elicitation with the peptide PEP-13 were investigated. This peptide is derived from the pathogenic oomycete Phytophthora sojae. In this study, the root and the RET responses to elicitation were dissected and sequenced using transcriptional, proteomic and metabolomic approaches. The major finding is increased synthesis and secretion of specialized metabolites upon induced defense activation following PEP-13 peptide elicitation. This study provides novel findings related to the pivotal role of the root extracellular trap in root defense.


The Direct Weight Optimization (DWO) approach to estimating a regression function is studied here for the class of approximately linear functions, i.e., functions whose deviation from an affine function is bounded by a known constant. Upper and lower bounds for the asymptotic maximum MSE are given, some of which also hold in the non-asymptotic case and for an arbitrary fixed design. Their coincidence is then studied. Particularly, under mild conditions, it can be shown that there is always an interval in which the DWO-optimal estimator is optimal among all estimators. Experiment design issues are also studied.


Abstract. Nitrate reduction maps have been used routinely in northern Europe for calculating the efficiency of remediation measures and the impact of climate change on nitrate leaching. These maps are, therefore, valuable tools for policy analysis and mitigation targeting. Nitrate reduction maps are normally based on output from complex hydrological models and, once generated, are largely assumed constant in time. However, the distribution, magnitude, and efficiency of nitrate reduction cannot necessarily be considered stationary during changing climate and land use as flow paths, nitrate release timing, and their interaction may shift. This study investigates the potential improvement of using transient nitrate reduction maps, compared to a constant nitrate reduction map that is assumed during land use and climate change, both for nitrate loads and the spatial variation in reduction. For this purpose, a crop and soil model (DAISY) was set up to provide nitrate input to a distributed hydrological model (MIKE SHE) for an agricultural catchment in Funen, Denmark. Nitrate reduction maps based on an observed dataset of land use and climate were generated and compared to nitrate reduction maps generated for all combinations of four potential land use change scenarios and four future climate model projections. Nitrate reduction maps were found to be more sensitive to changes in climate, leading to a reduction map change of up to 10 %, while land use changes effects were minor. The study, however, also showed that the reduction maps are products of a range of complex interactions between water fluxes, nitrate use, and timing. What is also important to note is that the choices made for future scenarios, model setup, and assumptions may affect the resulting span in the reduction capability. To account for this uncertainty, multiple approaches, assumptions, and models could be applied for the same area. However, as these models are very time consuming, this is not always a feasible approach in practice. An uncertainty of the order of 10 % on the
reduction map may have major impacts on practical water management. It is,
therefore, important to acknowledge if such errors are deemed acceptable in
relation to the purpose and context of specific water management situations.


Our rapidly expanding knowledge of the molecular and developmental biology of Arabidopsis thaliana is of fundamental importance to a better understanding of biological systems in crops and other plants. This knowledge will be particularly valuable in future examinations of evolutionary processes at the generic, specific, and population levels. To effectively utilize the knowledge gained from A. thaliana in an evolutionary context, information concerning its phylogenetic relationships is essential. However, despite the great utility of A. thaliana for comparative studies, remarkably little basic information is available concerning the systematics and evolution of the genus Arabidopsis and its relationships within the mustard family. The boundaries of the genus Arabidopsis are very poorly known, and the majority of species now assigned to the genus are not yet accessible for scientific study because of their restricted geographic distributions in remote mountainous areas of Asia. In the following sections, we summarize available information concerning the systematics and phylogenetic position of A. thaliana both from the standpoint of traditional morphologically based classifications and from new data from molecular comparisons. We review the geographic distribution and chromosome numbers of the other species currently placed in the genus Arabidopsis and the problematic nature of its delimitation and tribal placement in the Brassicaceae. We also present new information on the phylogenetic relationships of A. thaliana within the family obtained from sequence comparisons of the chloroplast rbc L gene and from preliminary analyses of restriction site data from the chloroplast genome. SYSTEMATIC RELATIONSHIPS OF ARABIDOPSIS Familial and Tribal Classification of Arabidopsis


Objectives: Vaccinations protect children against deadly diseases and approximately 30 immunizations are recommended for children by 6 years of age. However, immunization injections cause negative short-and long-term consequences for children. The Gate Control Theory of Pain suggests that physical interventions (e.g., rubbing the site) may be helpful, but they are not well validated for children's acute pain. This randomized trial examined the effectiveness of the ShotBlocker®, a physical intervention designed to decrease children's injection pain. Methods: Participants included 89 4-to 12-year-old children receiving immunizations at a pediatric practice. Participants were randomized to ShotBlocker®, placebo control, or typical care control groups. Measures of child distress included self-report, parent report, healthcare provider report, change in heart rate, and observational behavioral coding. Results: No group differences were evident on any of the measures of child pain or anxiety when controlling for child age, nor were there any significant interactions of treatment condition with child age. On the observational distress measure, ANCOVAs revealed significantly higher distress in the injection than pre-or post-injection phases, and post-injection distress was higher than pre-injection phase distress, irrespective of treatment condition. Discussion: The data do not support the effectiveness of the ShotBlocker® for acute pediatric pain relief. Clinical and theoretical implications are discussed.


Capillary gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC- MS) analyses of a sample of essential oil of zhumaria Linalool ned by simple water distillation of the pulverized air - dired leaves and flowers of the plant indicated that Linalool and comphor are the two major constituents of the volatile oil. Sylvestrene , y -terpinene, a- Pinene, b - carene, camphene, and Epiborneol constitute the other main components of the essential oil. The GC - MS chromatogram indicated the presence of more than fifty - components in the oil, most of them were present in trace amounts. In this study, the chemical structures of twenty of these consti tuents were elucidated using GC - MS analysis.


We use a three-pulse ultrafast optical spectroscopy to study the relaxation processes in a frustrated Mott insulator Na2IrO3. By being able to independently produce the out-of-equilibrium bound states (excitons) of doublons and holons with the first pulse and suppress the underlying antiferromagnetic order with the second one, we were able to elucidate the relaxation mechanism of quasiparticles in this system. By observing the difference in the exciton dynamics in the magnetically ordered and disordered phases we found that the mass of this quasiparticle is mostly determined by its interaction with the surrounding spins.


La-doped BiFeO3 thin films with Fe2+ ions have been prepared on Pt/TiO2/SiO2/Si substrates by pulsed laser deposition in order to enhance the ferroelectric and magnetic properties. The targets for the film deposition were synthesized using a rapid liquid phase sintering technique to ensure the low leakage. The dielectric properties at room temperature and above were investigated. It was observed that the La doping greatly enhances the ferroelectric polarization at room temperature by modifying the film structure from rhombohedral to monoclinic. The saturation magnetization was enhanced about two times due to the Fe2+ ions in the thin films. (C) 2006 American Institute of Physics.


There has been a recent increase of interest within the academic literature on the justice issues posed by climate change and the human responses to its present and forecasted effects. In two parts (here and in a previous article), we review and synthesize the recent literature by asking what climate justice concerns have been identified within three related realms: 1) the characterization of climate change itself and the assignment of responsibility for that change; 2) the differential or uneven impacts of climate change; and 3) the actions taken to address the problems associated with climate change, including both mitigation and adaptation. Here in Part 2, we focus on the justice concerns of climate action, examining the scholarship on climate change mitigation mechanisms formulated at the international level (i.e., REDD+, CDM) and climate change adaptation projects and finance. We argue that geographers are wellpositioned to conduct (and already well engaged in) research on the local climate justice paradoxes emerging from the currently uncritical focus of climate action policy on justice at the level of the national state.


Individual cities are active interest groups in lobbying the federal government, and yet the dynamics of this intergovernmental lobbying are poorly understood. We argue that preference incongruence between a city and its parent state government leads to underprovision of public goods, and cities need to appeal to the federal government for additional resources. We provide evidence for this theory using a data set of over 13,800 lobbying disclosures filed by cities with populations over 25,000 between 1999 and 2012. Income inequality and ethnic fragmentation are also highly related to federal lobbying activities. Using an instrumental variables analysis of earmark and Recovery Act grant data, we show that each dollar a city spends on lobbying generates substantial returns.


Purpose Circumferential pulmonary (PV) vein isolation (CPVI) is the most important treatment strategy for atrial fibrillation (AF). While understanding left atrial wall thickness around PVs (PVWT) prior to catheter ablation is important, its clinical implications are not known. This study aimed to evaluate PVWT characteristics according to underlying disease and to identify associations between PVWT and reconnections of PV potentials (PVPs) in redo ablation. Materials and Methods In 28 patients who underwent redo-AF ablation, PVWT and reconnected PVPs were evaluated at 12 sites (1–12 o'clock) around each PV. Clinical characteristics including stroke and CHA2DS2-VASc scores were analyzed according to the PVWT. Results The PVWT was thicker in males than females (p<0.001) and in those with diabetes (p=0.045) or heart failure (p=0.002) than in those without. Patients with strokes or high CHA2DS2-VASc scores (≥3) had significantly thinner PVWTs than those without strokes or low CHA2DS2-VASc scores (p<0.001). In redo-ablation, reconnected PVPs were detected in 60 (53.6%) of 112 PVs, and the PVs were thicker (p<0.001) and had more reconnected PVs (p=0.009) than right PVs. A PVWT of >0.6 mm predicted PV reconnections with a sensitivity of 76.7% and specificity of 52.2% with an area under the curve of 0.695. Conclusion Thick PVWs were associated with diabetes and heart failure, and also showed significant inverse correlations with stroke and the CHA2DS2-VASc score. Thick PVWs were associated with reconnected PVPs after the CPVI, which were related to AF recurrence.


OBJECTIVE
To study the autoimmune response in mothers of children with isolated congenital heart block (CHB) and heart block (HB) diagnosed postnatally.

METHODS
We reviewed the Finnish hospital registries for patients born between 1950 and 2000 and diagnosed with isolated HB before the age of 16 years. Clinical data and sera for the determination of autoantibodies were available from 67 mothers of children with CHB and from 37 mothers of children with postnatally diagnosed HB 9.9 years and 22.6 years (mean) after the index delivery, respectively. Maternal antibodies to 52 kDa and 60 kDa SSA and 48 kDa SSB were determined by time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay (TR-FIA) and by immunoblotting. Other marker antibodies for connective tissue diseases (CTD) were determined by immunoblot and/or by immunofluorescence. The control group comprised 136 mothers with primary Sjögren's syndrome (SS), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), or other CTD with healthy children.

RESULTS
Sixty of our 67 mothers (90%) of children with CHB had antibodies to SSA or SSB by the methods initially used in this study. When retests and tests performed previously were taken into account, only 3 (4%) of the 67 mothers did not have any autoantibodies. Two (3%) of the 67 mothers had antibodies to dsDNA and one (1%) each to Jo-1/HRS, RNP-70 kDa, and histone proteins. Of 37 mothers of children with postnatally diagnosed HB, only 3 (8%) had any autoantibodies. Increased risk of having a child with CHB was indicated by maternal primary SS and high levels of anti-SSA and anti-SSB by all assays, whereas low risk was indicated by maternal SLE or other CTD and undetectable or low levels of the antibodies. No single anti-SSA or anti-SSB test was clearly superior to others, but in general, immunoblots were more specific than TR-FIA.

CONCLUSION
Maternal autoimmune disorder is almost always associated with CHB but only rarely with postnatally diagnosed HB. Anti-SSA and anti-SSB are marker antibodies for mothers of children with CHB, and an increased risk of having an affected child is indicated by maternal primary SS and high titer antibodies to SSA and SSB.


Addition of the cell soluble supernatant fraction to an assay medium containing NADPH generating system, mixed function oxidase substrate and microsomes, resulted in a stimulation of drug metabolism ranging from 12-75%. This stimulation was observed only when the supply of DADPH generating system (isocitric dehydrogenase or glucose 6 phosphate dehydrogenase) was insufficient, leading to a NADPH oxidation rate which was greater than the rate of reduction of NADP+ during the oxidation of a drug. Hence, under our assay conditions, the soluble supernate (SS) is only providing sufficient NADPH generator, and possibly relieving inhibition by the generated NADP+. Finally, microsomal lipid peroxidation measurements under these same conditions indicate negligible to no peroxidation activity in the absence of SS.


This paper illustrates a real time monitoring system to examine psychological behaviors over wireless networks and recommends a generic filter library for the system. Our goal is to develop "PsychoFIZZ"—a Python source project that communicates with multiple Digital Sample Units (DSUs) by filtering raw data and interpreting the data. The new filtering scheme should be able to work in coordination with the current monitoring system and our experiment results show that the library enhances the performance of the monitoring system.


In France, mealtimes are a strong cultural trait, especially the three-meal pattern which was formed during the 19th century on the 'bourgeois' model. The aim of our study is to test whether this pattern still prevails and analyse to what extent family structure, gender, income and migration have an effect on meal frequency. This study is based on a cross-sectional analysis of data collected in 2010 in the SIRS cohort study among a representative sample of 3006 adults living in the Paris area. Results confirm that the three-meal pattern remains strongly rooted in the food habits of the Paris area. However, the study highlighted that one out of four inhabitants report that they eat two meals a day only. It shows a difference between men and women. Women are more likely than men to take three meals a day, men being more inclined to take two meals a day. For women, this is mainly linked to economic and social vulnerability.


Although climate change is global threat, developing countries have been identified as most vulnerable owing to their low adaptive capacities. In Nigeria, while the impacts of climate cut across diverse sectors, agriculture remains the most susceptible due to the predominance of rainfed agriculture. This paper examines agricultural vulnerability to climate change in eight selected rural settlements in Sokoto State, Nigeria adopting the integrated approach which combines environmental and socio- economic determinants . Monthly rainfall, rain days and temperatures (minimum and maximum) data for Sokoto (1951- 2010) were sourced from the archives of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, Lagos. The annual rainfall, total of rain days and mean temperature were computed a nd used for the trends analyses of the climatic variables while t he annual drought intensities for Sokoto synoptic weather station were computed from the annual rainfall data. Data on the environmental and socio -economic determinants of agricultural vulnerability to climate change were collected from 234 selected farmers using structured questionnaire. Multiple linear regression was used to examine the relationship between the agricultural vulnerability of the sampled farmers and the determinants. Stepwise regression was used to resolve the issue of multi -collinearity in the independent variables and consequently enhance the strength of the model. Results show that while there were downward trends of annual rainfall and rain days in Sokoto, annual mean temperatures show upward trend. Annual droughts were of slight and moderate intensities during the period under review. The results also revealed that unreliable rainfall, desertification, increasing temperatures, scarcity of pastures and inaccessibility to cred it facilities accounted for 86% of the variation of agricultural vulnerability to climate change in the selected settlements in Sokoto State . The paper concludes that the determinants of agricultural vulnerability to climate change in the selected settlements in Sokoto State connote environmental and socio -economical stressors. The paper, therefore, recommends development of irrigation projects and planned grazing as well as provision of soft and accessible loan facilities to local farmers on a sustainable basis .


Crustose coralline algae are important components of tropical reef communities because they promote successful settlement by corals and contribute to solidification of the reef framework. We show experimentally that crustose coralline algae are also capable of suppressing the growth and recruitment potential of an abundant Hawaiian reef macroalga, Ulva fasciata. When mixed communities of crustose coralline algae were absent, relative growth rates of U. fasciata increased by 54.6%. When experimental nutrient additions were used to induce algal spore release, effective recruitment of U. fasciata approached zero only when crustose coralline algae were present. Mixed communities of crustose coralline algae are thus capable of limiting the local abundance of already-established macroalgae by reducing both their growth rate and recruitment success. This experimental observation was confirmed by field surveys. Because crustose coralline species also induce settlement and metamorphosis in a large number of scleractinian coral species, their abundance and species composition are expected to affect the (future) abundance of macroalgae and corals, which are often used to characterize degraded and 'healthy' reefs, respectively.


AIM
To measure pulp blood flow rates of clinically normal maxillary anterior teeth of healthy adults using ultrasound Doppler flowmetry (UDF).

METHODOLOGY
A total of 359 anterior teeth from 63 patients (mean age, 29.8 years; range, 22-52 years; 26 females and 36 males) were included. The data were collected according to tooth type (three groups: central incisors, lateral incisors and canines). An MM-D-K (Minimax, Moscow, Russia) ultrasound Doppler imaging instrument was used to measure pulp blood flow. Differences between the tooth types were analysed with one-way anova and a Bonferroni correction at the 95% confidence level.

RESULTS
The mean average linear velocities during the systolic period (Vams) of the central incisors, lateral incisors and canines were 0.58, 0.58 and 0.52 cm s(-1) , respectively. There were no significant differences in the mean Vams between the tooth types (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS
Within the limitations of this study, the pulp blood velocities of clinically normal, maxillary anterior teeth of healthy adults were between 0.5 and 0.6 cm s(-1) . There were no significant differences in mean blood flow rates between maxillary central incisors, lateral incisors and canines.


ABSTRACT The Serpent Mound in Adams County, Ohio, is probably the most widely recognized effigy mound in the world. Opinions differ, however, as to who built the effigy and when. Currently there are two conflicting positions. According to Lepper and colleagues (this volume and elsewhere) the effigy was built by people of the Fort Ancient culture circa AD 1070. According to the present author and colleagues, recently obtained radiocarbon dates and other data indicate that Serpent Mound was built much earlier, by people of the Adena culture, circa 320 BC. In this article, evidence is presented that corroborates the earlier published radiocarbon dates suggestive of an Adena-era construction. This evidence includes a review of findings that real serpents were sometimes buried with Adena and Hopewell people and consideration of a relational complex reaching back to the Early Woodland—wherein the Great Serpent of Native American legend is associated with the journey of the deceased person's soul, the star constellation Scorpius, and the Lowerworld. Together, these data provide an Early Woodland cultural and interpretive context for Serpent Mound and further corroborate the Adena-era radiocarbon dates for its construction.


The ongoing negotiations in the WTO will most certainly lead to a further liberalization of the global agricultural trade. Related to this, many national governments, including Norway, Switzerland and Japan have placed substantial emphasis on the so-called non-trade concerns. In addition to the production of food and fiber, agriculture also provides or may provide national food security, environmental benefits, and viable rural areas. The term "Multifunctional Agriculture" has been applied to describe these additional functions. In this paper, we will show how the economic concepts of "positive and negative externalities" and "public goods" can be used to analyse non-trade concerns and multifunctionality, especially with reference to agriculture's impact on the environment. We conclude the paper with suggestions for international trade rules that can allow countries to meet domestic environmental policy objectives in a minimally trade-distorting manner.


Currently, the risk of acquiring hepatitis B and C infection among healthcare personnel is high. A cross-sectional study of 399 health personnel was conducted in governmental healthcare settings of the southern region of Gaza Strip from February 2003 to August 2003. The results revealed that, the prevalence of HbsAg was 2.8% among health workers and 1.3% for anti-HCV. 18.7% of the reactive cases (HBV and HCV) showed elevation in the liver enzyme ALT. Viral hepatitis B- markers for all HBsAg r eactive cases were done. Needle stick injuries showed a highly significant association as a main risk factor for infection. The results confirmed that hepatitis B vaccination was able to prevent the most threatening consequences of HBV infection, as the rate of infection among non-vaccinated health workers was approximately greater than twice (4.1%) that of vaccinated participants (2.0%).
Furthermore, amongst those who had less than three doses regimen of vaccine, the rate of infection was higher (3.9%) than those who had received the three doses (1.5%).
In conclusion, all healthcare workers should be offered full HBV coverage vaccination. In addition there is a need to better determination of the risk for HBV and HCV transmission in selected settings.
(Key words: Health workers, Hepatitis B and C, Needle injection). Sahel Medical Journal Vol.6(4) 2003:99-103


In Vacuum Infusion (VI) process, used to manufacture large composite structures, the fibrous preform undergoes large deformations during the impregnation due to the use of a flexible vacuum bag. Moreover, the resin pressure difference between the upstream and downstream sides of the preform leads to a non-uniform preform thickness during the mold filling process, which may degrade the part quality. Thus, the prediction of resin flow and preform thickness variations is a very important issue. However, fluid-structure interaction modeling is a difficult task, mainly due to the complex mechanical behavior of the preform. Indeed, the through-thickness deformation of fabrics depends on many factors such as loading type, fabric saturation and fabric type, and also on strain rate effects, as already observed in the literature. In this study, one focuses on the preform deformation during decompaction. Experimental measurements were performed using a universal testing machine with different strain rates, for two different types of fiberglass fabrics, i.e. a random mat and a twill weave fabric, in a dry or wet state saturated by liquids with different viscosities. From these fabric characterization tests, a constitutive model was deduced, which was subsequently implemented in a numerical software to simulate preform decompaction during VI process. Some VI process experiments were also conducted in order to measure the liquid pressure gradient and the preform thickness profile during the mold filling stage and validate the numerical results. It was found from fabric characterization tests that strain rate and viscosity have no significant impact on the preform response in decompaction, in the tested ranges of strain rate and viscosity, for both the random mat and twill weave fabric. However, the analysis of VI process experimental results highlights that, in the case of the twill weave fabric, a time lag appeared between the resin pressure rise and the preform thickness increase, which suggests that a viscoelastic behavior was nevertheless present; whereas in the case of the random mat, it seems thus sufficient to model the preform deformation occurring during the impregnation of VI process with a simple time-independent constitutive law.


Selected instrumental techniques [dilatometry, thermogravimetry – mass spectrometry (TG-MS), and variable temperature – diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (VT-DRIFTS)] have been used to investigate the role of moisture in the rehydroxylation reaction which causes expansion and mass gain in fired clay ceramics. The temperature range over which adsorbed water molecules and structural hydroxyl groups are desorbed from fired clay ceramic as it is reheated, and the nature of the structural hydroxyls that are formed as the ceramic is cooled and then held under controlled conditions have been explored. The mass chromatogram for m/z = 18, supported by VT-DRIFTS, showed that physisorbed water molecules were removed from the ceramic at about 105°C, whereas strongly bound molecules of water and structural hydroxyls were held to ≤500°C. Dilatometry revealed a marked contraction of the ceramic between 200°C and 330°C which corresponded to loss of strongly bound molecules of water. The VT-DRIFTS also showed that the interaction of water molecules with the ceramic body following reheating occurred in two stages and confirmed the kinetic law previously derived from mass gain and moisture expansion in fired clay ceramics.


I would like us to look at things for a moment from an operational perspective under the theme "AACP 3.0." I wish I could tell you that title was originally mine! I borrowed it from our Chief Operating Officer Dan Cassidy who gleaned it from a conversation with one of the consultants we have used on AACP work several times. In discussing an AACP staff retreat on implementation of the strategic plan, Josh Mintz synthesized what he had heard were our goals for the meeting by saying "It sounds like you want to create AACP 3.0!" Bingo!

Those that know me well know that on a scale of 1 to 10 in terms of technology adoption and use I am probably somewhere in the 1 to 2 range with 10 being a real techno wizard! Yes, I am on Facebook. I have to admit that I created a page accidentally and do not go there much, except to accept new friends and occasionally check on my teenagers and their cousins! I am linked in and profiled on a few other social networking sites, but I have never tweeted, rarely IM, and find that all of these new tools and tricks seem just to keep my bulging e-mail inbox overstuffed! Imagine my surprise when my 13-year-old son came home one day and said, "Mom, I found your picture on the Internet today!" In a worried minute, he popped my face up on Google Images and I relaxed as I realized it was the official AACP headshot you have seen numerous times!

About 18 months ago AACP launched our 2.0 Web site after months of design work and a time intensive rebuilding of a repository of so much information that people struggled to find the items they knew must be there but were not always so accessible. We continue to work on features, content, and search ability, and will launch additional communication features in the months ahead so that committees and other governance groups can work on projects and enhance resources for and communications with members. This will include new webinar capabilities that we are testing at this year's meeting. I realize that with communications and technology you are never "there," instead we will constantly be scanning the horizon to make sure – to use a really 90's term – we do not become roadkill on the information super highway in G3, G4, or G whatever Apple, Verizon, and ATT next invent!

It is not in the realm of informatics that I see the greatest potential in AACP's new plan and planning model, however. We had 2 specific goals in mind when we charged Rod Carter's strategic planning committee with responsibility for redesigning our approach to planning this year. We wanted a planning framework that went deeper into the organization than the current planning process did. And it was an aim to make plan implementation more intentionally operational and accountable.

AACP might have adopted an "if it's not broken don't fix it" attitude about planning. Certainly the "envisioned future" of pharmacists serving as the patient's leading advocate responsible for achieving all the positive outcomes intended from well-designed medication plans has not yet been achieved. The 2004 plan was written so broadly that virtually anything we thought of or elected to do for members likely would fit into the framework of those 11 goals. Our recent success can be seen tangibly in our growing membership, meeting attendance, expanding publications, effective advocacy, and healthy finances. Pretty good planning, right?

Perhaps it was the sense of potential vulnerability stemming from the near collapse of global finances and the realization that many organizations like ours, even some of our pharmacy association counterparts, were hurt significantly by the recession. Couple this with the recognition that the March 2010 health insurance reforms included many opportunities and likely some very real landmines in implementation, and AACP leaders recognized that a loose and inclusive strategic plan that primarily reflected the priorities of the Board of Directors was likely insufficient to guide the Association in service to members across a period of whitewater of unknown duration.

In March, AACP began implementing a new approach to involving sections, council leaders, and other Association officers and staff in planning, which now extends to objectives and action plans developed by all levels of governance except our special interest groups (SIGs). We will work with the SIG Cabinet in the coming months to determine how we might also include priorities from these membership groups into the new planning model.

As noted earlier, AACP staff members will continue working with the new approach to planning in a retreat in just a few weeks. It is our goal to work toward a 3-year picture of objectives and action plans with the financial analysis that will provide clarity on the need for and availability of resources to accomplish our goals over this 3-year timeframe. The plan includes the specific provision for looking for new revenue sources to supplement those that are the current backbone of our $11.6 million budget.

The most critical element of the new model and the one that will help us advance to that AACP 3.0 position I mentioned, is where this new cycle of planning began – with you. Our consultants from Bernard Consulting Group emphasized how critically important it is to always ground your planning in input from key stakeholders. We gathered that last fall as we embarked on the process of building a new plan, and it is our intention to continue to gather fresh input on an ongoing basis to ensure that we are able to hear and interpret your needs going forward. That input does not always have to wait for us to send you a link to a short survey; it can be in comments you make today during open microphone time, during our outreach visits, or the AACP/NABP district meetings that start in just a few short weeks. And notwithstanding what I said about my e-mail inbox, I appreciate hearing from you throughout the year when you find something that another organization is doing well that we should consider or identify an unmet need in your faculty or administrative team.

So perhaps just as Web 2.0 was not such a radical improvement on Web 1.0, I do not think that AACP 3.0 will be remarkably different from the wonderful organization we have been for 110 years. That said, I and the Board and staff thank you for your consistent support and engagement and pledge our continued commitment to understanding your needs and finding the programs, products, and services to meet them.


Importance
Alcohol use is a risk factor for firearm-related violence, and firearm owners are more likely than others to report risky drinking behaviors.

Objective
To study the association between prior convictions for driving under the influence (DUI) and risk of subsequent arrest for violent crimes among handgun purchasers.

Design
In this retrospective, longitudinal cohort study, 79 678 individuals were followed up from their first handgun purchase in 2001 through 2013. The study cohort included all legally authorized handgun purchasers in California aged 21 to 49 years at the time of purchase in 2001. Individuals were identified using the California Department of Justice (CA DOJ) Dealer's Record of Sale (DROS) database, which retains information on all legal handgun transfers in the state.

Exposures
The primary exposure was DUI conviction prior to the first handgun purchase in 2001, as recorded in the CA DOJ Criminal History Information System.

Main Outcomes and Measures
Prespecified outcomes included arrests for violent crimes listed in the Crime Index published by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault), firearm-related violent crimes, and any violent crimes.

Results
Of the study population (N=79 678), 91.0% were males and 68.9% were white individuals; the median age was 34 (range, 21-49) years. The analytic sample for multivariable models included 78 878 purchasers after exclusions. Compared with purchasers who had no prior criminal history, those with prior DUI convictions and no other criminal history were at increased risk of arrest for a Crime Index-listed violent crime (adjusted hazard ratio [AHR], 2.6; 95% CI, 1.7-4.1), a firearm-related violent crime (AHR, 2.8; 95% CI, 1.3-6.4), and any violent crime (AHR, 3.3; 95% CI, 2.4-4.5). Among purchasers with a history of arrests or convictions for crimes other than DUI, associations specifically with DUI conviction remained.

Conclusions and Relevance
This study's findings suggest that prior DUI convictions may be associated with the risk of subsequent violence, including firearm-related violence, among legal purchasers of handguns. Although the magnitude was diminished, the risk associated with DUI conviction remained elevated even among those with a history of arrests or convictions for crimes of other types.


The new "nonfiction"the adaptation of storytelling techniques to journalistic articles in the manner of Truman Capote, Tom Wolfe, and John McPheeis an innovative genre that has been awarded virtually every Pulitzer Prize for literary journalism since 1979. And now Jon Franklin, himself a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and undisputed master of the great American nonfiction short story, shares the secrets of his success. Franklin shows how to make factual pieces come alive by applying the literary techniques of complication/resolution, flashback, foreshadowing, and pace. He illustrates his points with a close analysis and annotation of two of his most acclaimed stories, so that the reader can see, step-by-step, just how they were created. This lively, easy-to-follow guid combines readability and excitement with the best of expository prose and illuminates the techniques that beginning journalistsand more experienced ones, toowill find immensely helpful: Stalking the true short storyDrafting an effective outlineStructuring the rough copyPolishing like a proand the tips, tools, and techniques that will put your stories on the cutting edge"


A recently developed "gel-state NMR method" that simply swells plant cell walls in a DMSO-d6/pyridine-d5 (4 : 1) solvent system and uses a high-resolution solution state 2D-NMR (HSQC) technique has been successfully applied to whole plant cell wall 2D-NMR profiling studies. However, there was limited information to assign many polysaccharide peaks unlike lignin structures. Here we collected NMR data from various cellulose and xylan models using the same solvent system to assign the unknown peaks. Furthermore, DMSO-soluble cellulose and xylan fractions were prepared from ball-milled cotton linter cellulose, and the detailed chemical structures were analyzed. The major component of cotton is cellulose (95–99%), but it typically contains ∼2% hemicelluloses. Xylan in particular was isolated and identified along with the amorphous cellulose in this study. The fully assigned spectra of cellulose and xylan provided invaluable database information for peak assignment and authentication that will be directly used to screen and identify the two main polysaccharide components from various whole cell wall NMR spectra in the same solvent system.


Abstract The coconut hispine beetle, Brontispa longissima (Gestro), is a serious invasive pest that infests young unopened fronds of coconut palms (Cocos nucifera L.) in Southeast Asia. We previously developed the first artificial diet for rearing B. longissima larvae, which contained a leaf powder of young coconut fronds. Because the fronds are required for healthy growth of coconut palms, it is necessary to reduce their use for rearing the beetles. In this study, we tested two new artificial diets for the beetle larvae, which contained the leaf powders of mature coconut leaves or orchard grass (Dactylis glomerata L.). Brontispa longissima successfully developed from hatching to adulthood on both the mature coconut leaf diet and orchard grass diet. The beetles reared on the mature coconut leaf diet and orchard grass diet developed faster than those reared on the young coconut leaf diet. Fecundity and egg hatchability of beetles did not differ among the three diet treatments. We then examined the suitability of beetle larvae or pupae reared on each diet as hosts for two specialist endoparasitoids, Asecodes hispinarum Boucek and Tetrastichus brontispae Ferriere. The survival rate from oviposition to adult emergence for A. hispinarum was 43.8% in hosts reared on a young coconut leaf diet, 77.1% on a mature coconut leaf diet, and 85.7% on an orchard grass diet. For T. brontispae, the survival rate was 70.0% in hosts reared on the young coconut leaf diet, 38.1% on the mature coconut leaf diet, and 66.7% on the orchard grass diet. Our results indicate these artificial diets can be useful for rearing B. longissima and its two parasitoids, helping to reduce the costs of mass rearing these insects.


The thesis examines the effects of the privatisation process on productivity, competitiveness and performance in two major Brazilian steel companies, which were privatised in between 1991 and 1993. The case study method was adopted in this research due to its strengths as a useful technique allowing in-depth examination of the privatisation process, the context in which it happened and its effects on the companies. The thesis has developed a company analysis framework consisting of three components: management, competitiveness/productivity and performance and examined the evidence on the companies within this framework.The research indicates that there is no straightforward relationship between privatisation, competitiveness and performance. There were many significant differences in the management and technological capabilities, products and performance of the two companies, and these have largely influenced the effects of privatisation on each company. Company Alpha's strengths in technological and management capabilities and high value added products explain strong productivity and financial performance during and after privatisation. Company Beta's performance was weak before the privatisation and remained weak immediately after. Before the privatisation, weaknesses in management, commodity type low value added products and shortage of funds for investment were the major problems. These were compounded by greater government interference. Despite major restructuring, the poor performance has continued after privatisation largely because the company has not been able to improve its productivity sufficiently to be cost competitive in commodity type markets. Both companies state that their strategies have changed significantly. They claim to be more responsive to market conditions and customers and are attempting to develop closer links with major customers. It is not possible to assess the consequences of these changes in the short time that has elapsed since privatisation but Alpha appears to be more effective in developing a coherent strategy because of its strengths. Both companies accelerated their programme of organisational restructuring and reducing the number of their employees during the privatisation process to improve productivity and performance. Alpha has attained standards comparable to major international steel companies. Beta has had to make much bigger organisational changes and cuts in its labour force but its productivity levels still remain low in comparison with Alpha and international competitors.


ABSTRACT Increased of plant productivity in field determined by the use of quality seed from improved variety. The purpose of this research was to study the effect of frequency and volume of phyllosphere biological agents by foliar spray on rice plant infected by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) in improving plant growth, production of rice seed, and controlling bacterial leaf blight (BLB). This research was conducted at Seed Health Laboratory, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, Bogor Agricultural University, and Muara Experimental Field, Rice Research Institute, March through September 2014. The experiment was conducted using a randomized complete block design with two factors, and replicates as blocks. The first factor was five levels of frequency of spraying with biological agents: P0 = control, P1 = Xoo seed inoculated then invigorated with biomatriconditioning, P2 = Xoo inoculated seed, then biomatriconditioned, and the plants were sprayed with phyllosphere biological agents F112 once, P3 = as P2, and the plants were sprayed with F112 twice, and P4 = as P2, and the plants were sprayed with F112 three times. The second factor was three levels of spray volume: i.e., 300, 400, and 500 L ha-1. Result of this experiment revealed that biomatriconditioning with rhizobacteria P. diminuta A6 and B. subtilis 5/B improved field emergence and seedling dry weight. Seeds applied with biomatriconditioning then followed by foliar spray with phyllosphere bacteria F112 at 40, 60, and 80 days after transplanting effectively reduced severity of BLB, increased plant dry weight and seed yield. All treatments increased yield as compared to untreated control. Volume of foliar application showed no significant difference, therefore, the lowest volume of 300 L ha-1 was recommended. Keywords: Bacillus subtilis 5/B, biomatriconditioning, Pseudomonas diminuta A6, Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae


Battery management system (BMS) was implemented at Li-ion based battery system using passive charge balancing method. Commonly, passive balancing technique is widely used in BMS because system implementation simple and cost is low. The battery system was created with four different lithium-ion battery cells. As it is known the most used battery type is Li-ion type battery in vehicles, so this battery type was selected in the study. Two main microprocessors were used as master and slave for management system. STM32f103C8 microcontroller was used as master and PIC18f4520 microcontroller used as slave controller in the BMS. Four battery cells voltages, currents and temperatures were controlled with designed control system. The information received from the current and voltage sensors was collected from each cell using slave controller and sent smoothly to the master controller system. These experimental results indicated that the passive balancing method was implemented and battery cells charged successfully.


In Urban surroundings natural and human-induced surrounding Sal changes are of concern nowadays as a result of deterioration of environment and human health [1]. The study of land use/land cowl (LU/LC) changes is incredibly vital to possess correct designing and utilization of natural resources and their management [2]. ancient ways for gathering demographic knowledge, censuses, and analysis of environmental samples aren't adequate for multicomplex environmental studies [3], since several issues usually bestowed in environmental problems and nice complexness of handling the multidisciplinary knowledge set; we have a tendency to need new technologies like satellite remote sensing and Geographical data Systems (GISs). These technologies offer knowledge to check and monitor the dynamics of natural resources for environmental management [4]


BACKGROUND
The accountable care organization (ACO) model being adopted across the United States aims to improve patient care and reduce costs. Little is known about whether commercial ACO contracts include accountability for prescription drug spending or how ACOs are engaging outpatient pharmacies and managing prescription drug use.

OBJECTIVE
To explore how ACOs are addressing drug spending and pharmacy services-a potentially important determinant of quality and total spending.

METHODS
We used data from 2 waves of the National Survey of Accountable Care Organizations (N = 270), a survey completed by ACOs that were established prior to July 2013. ACO executives were asked about ACO engagement of pharmacy services, pharmacy-related health information technology capabilities, and ACO accountability for prescription drug spending.

RESULTS
Among ACOs with commercial contracts, 77% reported being held responsible for prescription spending by their largest contract. Considering all ACOs (Medicare, Medicaid, and/or commercial contracts), 45% reported at least 1 contract included prescription drug spending responsibility. Nearly half of ACOs reported a formal relationship with a pharmacy; 26% included a pharmacy within the ACO; and 19% had contracted pharmacy services. On average, compared with those that do not, ACOs that engage pharmacies have a broader range of services and provider types, commercial and public contracts, and greater experience with payment reform.

CONCLUSIONS
Management of pharmacy services and prescription spending will likely influence commercial ACO contract success. Given the broad potential impact of prescription use on overall spending and quality, payers might encourage integration of pharmacy services in ACOs through prescribing quality and prescription spending performance measures.


This brief presents a fully pipelined color demosaicking design. To improve the quality of reconstructed images, a linear deviation compensation scheme was created to increase the correlation between the interpolated and neighboring pixels. Furthermore, immediately interpolated green color pixels are first to be used in hardware-oriented color demosaicking algorithms, which efficiently promoted the quality of the reconstructed image. A boundary detector and a boundary mirror machine were added to improve the quality of pixels located in boundaries. In addition, a hardware sharing technique was used to reduce the hardware costs of three interpolators. The very-large-scale integration architecture in this brief contains only 4.97 K gate counts, and the core area is 60 229 μm2 synthesized by using 0.18-μm CMOS process. Compared with the previous low-complexity designs, this work has the benefits in terms of low cost, low power consumption, and high performance.


Condemned, reprieved, and flourishing Little Trinity Anglican Church, Toronto First Sunday in Advent, 2005 In 1950 the Anglican bishop of Toronto appointed a commission to decide whether to close a declining inner-city church called Little Trinity, whose rector had just retired. It was situated among derelict houses in an industrial part of town. Virtually everyone in the dwindling congregation lived far away. The church's physical plant had deteriorated, its endowment had largely evaporated, and its debt had mounted. At the same time, development was booming in the suburbs, and that, it seemed, was where the diocese should be focusing its efforts. The commission recommended beginning a process of dismantling Little Trinity's parish status. The oversight of the church should be transferred to the rector of a neighboring parish. The spunky little congregation fought the recommendation. It had a friend in the most influential rector in the diocese, and later bishop, Fred Wilkinson of St. Paul's, Bloor Street. No Anglican church in Canada, he declaimed, had "rendered a more distinctive service of witness and influence for good." The executive committee of the diocese voted to keep Little Trinity open for a probationary period of three years. The bishop appointed a rector named Maurice Flint, a theologically firm English evangelical, formerly a missionary in Baffin Island. His tireless ministry focused on improving Christian education for adults and children, expanding lay fellowship and ministry, and reinvigorating community outreach. Within a year attendance had increased and offerings had doubled. The diocese lifted its probation, and the church kept on growing. The powerful evangelical preaching of the next rector, Harry Robinson (1963-1978), attracted standing-room-only crowds, largely professionals and students. Little Trinity continues to draw impressive numbers. In the 2004 statistical returns of the diocese of Toronto, its average Sunday attendance of 306 ranked it in tenth place of the 260 churches listed. It's larger than any of the suburban churches that the diocese opened with such enthusiasm after World War II. Why does a church flourish? Is it leadership? Does it help if it's filling a theological or liturgical niche, or serving compelling missionary goals? Is it sometimes a special personal chemistry that animates the congregation? For most Anglican leaders in Toronto in 1950, the chief predictor of success was geography and demographics. If a church were near people, especially people of British descent, it would be filled; otherwise, it would remain empty. In other words, the parish system, developed centuries earlier in a predominantly rural European Christendom, still influenced Anglican thinking in modern urban Canada. In England, according to a likely historical theory, the parish system had triumphed after twelfth-century papal reformers began transferring control over clerical appointments and ecclesiastical revenues from temporal leaders to ecclesiastical. In particular, tithes came to be collected by church authorities according to a person's place of residence rather than by manorial authorities according to a person's tenancy. It accordingly became essential to define parish boundaries clearly. These boundaries then determined where a person would go to church, seek pastoral care, and receive sacramental ministry. Did the parish system have any place in Canada, where Anglicans were in a minority, and had no obligation to support the church financially or to attend worship locally, or indeed anywhere? For John Strachan, the first important Anglican leader in Toronto, and the first bishop of the diocese (1839-1867), the answer was yes. For one thing, he long harbored the hope that the mother country might yet provide Canada with an effective Anglican establishment. Moreover, a parish system suited his vision of a network of Anglican churches strategically placed across the vast frontier, ordered to provide a widely scattered population with social, educational, liturgical, and evangelistic ministry. …


Obesity is an increasingly prevalent and important health problem. Although treatment is available, the long-term maintenance of medically significant weight loss (5 to 10 percent of initial body weight) is rare. Since 1995 there has been an explosion of research focused on the regulation of energy balance and fat mass. Characterization of obesity-associated gene products has revealed new biochemical pathways and molecular targets for pharmacological intervention that will likely lead to new treatments. Ideally, these treatments will be viewed as adjuncts to behavioral and lifestyle changes aimed at maintenance of weight loss and improved health.


Starting with a landmark 2015 speech by Mark Carney on the 'Tragedy of the Horizon', climate change entered central banking discourse, causing some of its key convictions to come under new scrutiny. This article traces how initially climate change was firmly embedded in a conventional framework of 'market completion' that would allow financial markets to price in the negative externality. Yet, over the course of the last seven years, central banks have repositioned their role regarding this problem, taking on a much more active stance which calls into question the notion of 'market neutrality'. To trace these discursive changes, this article identifies three discursive layers formed around market-based mechanisms, responsible investment and monetary policy. We show that in the unfolding of the debate, the issue of climate change has altered the self-understanding of central bankers and driven them towards a more active stance where they acknowledge that central bankers shape and make, and not only 'mirror', market forces.